Double walled sheet metal structure



4 Sheets-Sheet 1 2+ JNVENTOR George TrauZveZZer /L/ /QM ATTORNEY March14, 1944. e. TRAUTVETTER DOUBLE WALLED SHEET METAL STRUCTURE Filed June2 8. 1940 G. TRAUTVETTER DOUBLE WALLED SHEET METAL STRUCTURE March 14,1944.

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 28. 1940 INVENTOR ieorge Trazziveiier March14, 1944.

G. TRAUTVETTER DOUBLE WALLED SHEET METAL STRUCTURE Filed June 28. 1940 4Sheets-Sheet 3 I N VEN TOR A TTORNE Y 1 L I .WMHMHHHWW W HHY H. .m 1 .Hw- ,iiiii ,1 I

(Zearge frazziveiier Match 14, 1944- G. TRAUTVETTER DOUBLE WALLED SHEETMETAL STRUCTURE Filed June 28, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 BY WM ATTORNEYPatented Mar. 14, 1944 DOUBLE WALLED SHEET METAL STRUCTURE GeorgeTrautvetter, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Edward G. Budd ManufacturingCompany, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennylvania ApplicationJune 28, 1940, Serial No. 342,942

11 Claims.

such as stainless steel, the parts entering into the door structurebeing largely constituted by strip material which is pre-formed into thedesired configuration by die forming operations either by the use ofdraw rolling dies or otherwise. The parts entering into the structureare so formed in their margins that they can be readily joined togetherin subassembly and flnal assembly, in the main, by simple spot weldingoperations. The structure is adapted for subassembly into inner andouter panels, one of which is built up of channel members the bottomwalls of which form one face of the door and the adjacent side walls ofwhich overlap and are secured together. Certain of these side walls arelaterally flanged, these flanges being disposed parallel to the oppositeface of the door, and the other panel is secured in final assembly tothese flanges so as to constitute the main body of the door by astructure comprising a plurality of parallel box cross-sectionalelements secured together in their margins. The door is furtherconstructed to facilitate the assembly of the marginal and window framemembers with the outer and inner panels and to stiffen and strengthenthe door structure in these and other regions.

Other and further objects and advantages, and the manner in which theyare attained, will become apparent from the following detaileddescription when read in connection with the drawings forming a parthereof.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is an inside elevational view of a door according to theinvention adapted more particularly for use as a sliding baggagecompartment door for railway vehicles;

Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are sectional views on an enlarged scale, partsbeing broken away, the sections being taken substantially along thecorrespondingly numbered section lines indicated on Fig. 1 and lookingin the direction of the arrows at the ends of the section lines;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the 10 and 11, enlargedsectional views, and, in the case of Fig. 9, an enlarged plan view,these views being taken along the correspondingly numbered section linesof Fig. '7 looking in the direction of the arrows at the ends of thesection lines;

Figs. 12 and 13 are, respectively, enlarged fragmentary views of the topand bottom corners of the hinged side of the door showing the manner ofapplication of the hinges.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, it will be seen that the doorcomprises inner and outer panels designated generally by the referencenumerals l0 and II. These panels extend from side to side and top tobottom of the. door except where they are interrupted by the windowopenings, designated l2, in this case two in number and arranged side byside in the upper portion of the door. I

The innerpanel I!) may comprise a substantially smooth sheet conformingto the inner face of the door, while the outer panel H is a compositestructure designed to provide both framing and paneling and adapted tobe assembled as a subassembly unit prior to its final assembly with theinner panel. I

As clearly appears from Figs. 1 and 5, the outer panel H is built up, inits main body in the region below the window openings, of a plurality ofvertically extending channels; the lateral ones designated,respectively, I3 and I4 and the intermediate ones I5. These channels arearranged with their bottom walls lying in and forming the outer face ofthe door, and with their side walls overlapping and secured together asby spot welding. At least one of the two adjacent overlapping side wallsof the channels, as It, Fig. 5, is formed with the lateral flange l1paralleling the inner face of the door.

The lateral channels l3 and I have their outer side walls l8 and 19formed with flanges 20 and 2| extending inwardly from the side marginsof the door, these flanges being also arranged parallel to the innerface of the door and in the planes of the flanges H. In the finalassembly, however, the inner panel I0 is applied in overlapping relationwith the flanges I1, 20 and 2|, and is secured thereto as byself-tapping screws 22, thus forming the main body of the door below thewindow openings into a plurality of adjacent vertically extending boxsection elements In its lower margin, the door is further strengthenedby a transverse frame member. This frame member may comprise a compositestructure which is shown in Fig. 2 to comprise an angle 23 having onearm secured to the bottom walls of the channels [3, l4 and i5 formingthe outer panel, and its other arm extended laterally toward the innerpanellO. It will be noted that the channel members of the outer panelterminate short of the bottom of the inner panel. The compositetransverse frame member comprises also the downwardly facing channel 24having its bottom wall welded to the transverse arm of the angle 23 andits inner side wall secured in flnal assembly to the inner panel H] asby screws 22. In order to provide for a weathcr-proof seal in the lowermargin of the door, the channel 24 is made of less width than thethickness of the door, and, between its outer side wall and a me alstrip 25 extending the outer panel in the same degree as the innerpanel, there is secured a weather strip 25 held in place by the screws27 extending through the strip 25 and 25 and the outer side wall of thechannel 24. The

downwardly facing bottom channel 24 also provides guide means engagingover an upwardly projecting rib in the threshhold of the door, asindicated at 25.

At the top, the outer panel is formed by a sepplate, designated 29,extended around the ndow penings and having its bottom margin orflapping the bottom walls of the channels [3, l and :5 which terminatebelow the window opening, see Fig. 2, and secured thereto. The lateralchannels 13 and I4 have their marginal channel portions l3, I8, 20 andl4, l9, 2| extended up to the top of the door as clearly appears fromFigs. 1, 3 and 4.

Across the top, the door is strongly reinforced by a box sectionreinforcing structure shown as comprising a deep channel which may, forconvenience of manufacture, b formed by angles 30 and 3! securedtogether. this channel being telescoped between the outer panel II andthe inner It is preferably panel IE3, and secured to both. secured tothe outer panel prior to the final assembly and prior to the assembly ofa second shallow transverse channel 32 which is telcscoped between theside walls of the channel formed by angles 30 and 3| and securedthereto, as clearly appears in Fig. 2. As clearly shown in Fig. 4, theends of the side walls of the channel formed by angles 36 and 3| areoffset the thickness of the metal and overlap and are secured to thesides of the lateral channels i3, i8, 20 and l4, 19, 2|. Thus a stronglyreinforced top frame member strongly tied into the side frame members isprovided for the door through which the door is suspended by brackets,as 33, carrying rollers 34 running upon the track 35.

Around the window openings the door is reinforced by window framesclearly appearing in Figs. 2 and 3. These window frames may compriseangular strips 35 and 3'! secured, respectively, through one of theirarms to the outer panel plate 29 and the inner panel plate [0. Thesestrips have arms 33 and 39, respectively, which extend toward the centerof the window opening in overlapping relation and are secured togetherin final assembly. The transparent window panel 40, which is received inan angle formed by the outer strips 36, is held in place by a resilientWeatherstrip indicated at 4|, as shown in Fig-2.

Below the window openings, the door may be further reinforced by atransverse member 42 of Z cross-section, see Fig. 2, having one securedin subassembly to the outer panel plate '29 and the other arm secured infinal assembly by the screws 22 securing the inner panel 15 in place.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the channel 13 has its bottom wall cut awaynear the bottom 01' the door and, secured to the margins of thiscut-away portion, is a sheet metal cup-shaped member 43 forming a recessfor receiving a bracket M scoured to the door by bolts 45 and carrying alocking link 45 for cooperation with means on the jamb 4! of the doorfor holding the door closed. As shown in Fig. 1, other means is providedfor securing and moving the door, but, since they form no part of thisinvention, further description thereof seems superfluous and is omitted.

The windows are protected on the inside, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and3, by a plurality of transverse parallel bars 48 secured to the innerpanel by the screws 49. In the region of this se curement, the innerpanel may be reinforced on its inner side by vertical bars 50, asappears. in Figs. 1 and 3. Similar reinforcements may be provided, asshown in Figs. 3 and 5, where the inner panel is secured to the marginalflanges 20 and 2| of the outer panel.

A modified application of the invention is shown in Figs. 7 to 13, inwhich it is applied to a hingetype door having a single window openingin its upper portion. In this modification, the outside panel,designated generally by reference numeral 5 I, is fabricated similarlyto the outer panel in the construction already described, and the innerpanel, designated 52, is secured thereto in a manner similar to thesecurement of the inner panel of the preceding construction as by thescrews 53. At the hinged side of the door, however, the marginal channel54 is rounded at 55 and formed with a very deep flange 56 to which theinner panel is secured at a point remote from the margin. This roundedchannel portion 54, 55. 56 is extended upwardly to the top of the door,and is secured in this region to the outer panel portion 51 and theinner panel 52 by spot welding. Similarly the opposite marginal channel58 of the outer panel may be extended upwardly by a reduced channelsection 59 and is secured to the outer and inner panels in the samemanner.

The top of the door in this case may be reinforced similarly to thereinforcement in the pre vious modification by a box-section reinforcingmember consisting of a deep channel 60, and a shallow channel 6|telescoped within it and secured thereto. The deep channel is securedalso to the outer and inner panels 51 and 52. The bottom of this channelforms the framing for the top of the window. At the sides, the windowopening is framed by channels 62, the side walls of which are secured,respectively, to the outer and inner panels.

Below the window opening, the door is reinforced by a transverse channel15 secured to the outer and inner panels in a manner similar to thechannel 62 at the sides of said opening.

According to this construction, the outer panel extends into the windowopening further than the inner panel, and the window assembly,consisting of a sash63 of substantially the full depth of the door andprovided with means for mount ing two spaced transparent panels 64 and65, may be removably assembled as a unit with the door so that its bodyseats against the outer panel, see Fig. 10. It has a peripheral flange56 which overlaps the double flange formed by the inner panel ace-e222and the channels Ell, 82 and 35, may b cured thereto screws 6i. I At thebottom. the door may be reinforced on the outer and inner sides by kickplates designated, respectively, 58 and 59, these plates being securedby screws to the outer and inner panels. By reason of the use of thesekick plates, a portion of the inner panel is shown omitted near thebottom, and its place is taken by a suitable sound insulating sheet 10in this region. At the extreme bottom of the door, however, the twothicknesses of metal are provided. In this region, the door isreinforced by a transverse frame member of downwardly-facing channelsection II. As in the previous construction, this channel is of lesswidth than the thickness of the door, and the weather-strip 12 issecured between a Z-member 23 connecting the bottom of the outer panelwith the outer wall of the channel, and the bottom of the kick plate 68by screws 14.

The open rounded construction of the hinged frame member 54, 55, 56provides a recess for the mounting of the hinge sockets i6 and I1,indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 12 and 13 of the drawings, which aresecured through extensions 18 and. 19 to the reinforced top and bottomchannels 6i and H of the door by screws indicated at 80, these socketscooperating with vertical trunnions, indicated at 8! and 82, suitablysecured to the top and bottom of the door frame. Between the coned topof the trunnion 82 and the oppositely coned bottom of the socket H isinserted a ball 83 to carry the door for easy swinging movement. Asimilar arrangement may be provided at the top, as shown, although thisis not essential and may be omitted if desired.

While the invention hasbeen described in several detailed modifications,it will be understood that. further changes and modifications may bemade by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit ofthe invention, and such changes and modifications are intended to becovered by the appended claims.

' What is claimed is:

1. A hollow sheet metal wall structure such as a door structure havingits body built up of inner and outer panel's, one of said panels beingfabricated of strips of channel cross section secured together throughtheir abutting side walls, certain of said channel side walls beingflanged such that one only of two abutting side walls is provided with aflange which extends away from the center of its channel, and the otherpanel overlapping and being secured to said flanges.

2. A hollow sheet metal door structure having its body built up of innerand outer panels, one of said panels being fabricated of vertical stripsof channel cross section secured together through their abutting sidewalls, certain of said channel side walls, including the side wallsforming the lateral margins of the door, being provided with flanges insuch a manner that only one of two abutting side walls carries a flangewhich flange extends away from the center of the channel. on which it isformed, and the other panel overlapping and being secured to saidflanges.

3. A hollow sheet metal door structure having its body built up of innerand outer panels, one of said panels being built upof vertical strips ofchannel cross section secured together through their abutting sidewalls, certain of said'channel side walls including the side walls ofthe lateral margins of the door being provided with flanges in such amanner that only one of two abutting side walls carries a flange whichflange extends away from the center of the channel on which it isformed. the side walls along the latter margin of the door being flangedlaterally inwardly to form the lateral marginal portions of the door,and the other panel overlapping and being sccured to said flanges.

4. A hollow sheet metal door structure having a window opening thereinand built up of inner and outer panels, one of said panels beingfabricated of vertical strips of channel cross section secured toegtherin their overlapping side walls, certain of said channel side wallsbeing flanged, and the other panel overlapping and secured to saidflanges, each of said panels having an angular s ction window framingstrip secured thereto in suoassembly, said strips in final assemblyhaving overlapping portions extending toward the window opening andsecured together.

5. A hollow sheet metal door structure built up of inner and outerpanels, one of said panels being fabricated of vertical strips ofchannel cross section secured together in their overlapping side walls,certain of said side walls being flanged, the side wall at a hingedlateral margin of the door being deeply flanged and providing pocketsopening toward the ends of the door at the hinge side of the door toreceive parts of the hinge structure.

6. A hollow sheet metal door having a window opening inits upperportion, its body being built up of inner and outer panels, one of saidpanels being fabricated of vertical strips of channel cross sectionsecured together through their abutting side walls, the lateral of saidchannels being formed in their margins of laterally inwardly presentingchannel section and extended in their margins to the top of the door,and a separate sheet including the window opening extending said onepanel to the top of the door between the lateral margins and overlappingand secured co the bottom walls of said vertical channel strips atbottom and sides of the window opening, certain of the intermediatestrips of channel cross-section being flanged in their margins, and theother of said panels being a unitary sheet overlapping said flanges andthe adjacent side walls of the inwardly presenting channel sectionmargins of the lateral channels and secured.

thereto in the overlap.

7. A hollowsheet metal door having its body built up of inner and outerpanels and having a window opening in its top portion, the door beingreinforced across the top by a box-section member spacing the inner andouter panels and secured thereto, along its sides by laterally inwardlyfacing channels spacing the panels and secured thereto, and at thebottom of the window opening by an angular transverse member having armsoverlapped by the outer and inner panels and secured thereto.

8. A hollow sheet metal door structure having its body built up of innerand outer panels, one of said panels being fabricated of strips ofchannel cross section secured together through their abutting side wallsso that their bottom walls form one'face of the door, certain of saidside walls being flanged, said channels terminating short of one edge ofthe door, the other panel overlapping and secured to the flanges of saidfirst-named panel and extending beyond said channels along said dooredge, means constituting a similar extension of said first panel of thedoor beyond said channelsalong said edge, andan outwardly facing channeljoining the extended portions of the panels in said edge.

9. A hollow sheet metal door structure having its body built up of innerand outer panels, one of said panels being fabricated of strips ofchannel cross-section secured together through their abutting side wallsso that their bottom walls form one face of the door, means constitutingan extension of the bottom walls for some distance.

beyond the side walls and the bottom walls proper of the channels in oneedge of the door, certain of the side walls of the channel strips beingflanged, the other panel overlapping and secured to said flanges andbeing extended a like distance beyond the side walls of the channels insaid edge, a channel interconnecting the extended portions of said outerand inner panels, said channel being of less width than the spacebetween the panels to provide a recess between it and one of said panels,to receive a weather-strip for securement to said edge.

10. A hollow sheet metal door structure having spaced inner and outerpanels spaced in their opposite vertical margins by laterally inwardlyfacing marginal channels secured to said outer and inner panels throughtheir side walls, top and bottom transverse channels spacing the outorand inner panels and secured thereto adjacent the top and bottom of thedoor, said transverse members terminating short of the hinged side ofthe door to provide pockets opening toward the ends of the door, and theends of said transverse members adjacent said pockets providing meansfor attaching hinge sockets located in the pockets so formed betweensides of the marginal channel at the hinge side of the door.

11. A hollow sheet metal door structure having spaced inner and outerpanels spaced at least in one of their opposite vertical margins by alaterally inwardly facing marginal channel secured to said outer andinner panels through its side walls, a transverse member such as achannel at least along one of the top and bottom margins spacing theoute'rand inner panels and secured thereto, said transverse memberterminating short of the hinged side of the door to provide a pocketopening toward the end of the door, and the end of said transversemember adjacent said pocket providing means for attaching a hinge socketlocated in the pocket so formed between th sides of the marginal channelat the hinge side of the door.

GEORGE TRAUTVETTER.

